SCMAT Exclusive Wrestling Article 10-14-24
2024-2025 SC Wrestling Season Preview #5 - 10-14-24
Chesnee 2024 2A-1A State Champions
Season Preview #5 will cover 3 key topics for the 2A-1A classification as well as extra coverage of Freshman Phenoms.
SCHSL Realignment impacts to 2A-1A
Impact #1 - 2A-1A State Duals will probably not have any impacts from the Realignment, other than the competitive impact of several strong programs moving from 3A to 2A-1A. 2A-1A has just a couple of extra wrestling teams from a year ago.
Impact #2 - 2A-1A State Individuals will probably not have any impacts from the Realignment. 2A-1A has the approximate same number of Returning State Placers/Qualifiers from a year ago.
The most interesting impact from the Realignment will be Chester, Clinton, Phillip Simmons and Lake City dropping to 2A-1A.
9 returning individual state champions are expected to wrestle in 2A-1A.
Will SC crown a first-time Team Champion in 2A-1A this year?
8 teams in 2A-1A have won a Wrestling State Championship.
For three straight years, we have seen a first-time champion in 2A-1A ... Chesnee (2024), Liberty (2023), Ninety-Six (2022).
2A-1A could see a fourth consecutive first-time champion crowned in 2025, but it will be hard for a team to halt the establishment given the returning strength of the last three champions.
Each team listed below has the overall number of championships on the left and the years on the right.
2A-1AHas a classification ever had 4 consecutive years with a first-time champion?
The answer is "no" ... but Chester is seeking to be a part of setting the new record, which currently has a tie.
Before 2A-1A just accomplished three consecutive teams with first-time titles, SC had one other time with three consecutive years with a first-time team champion:
1979 4A - Irmo (Coach B.D. LaPrad)
1980 4A - Rock Hill (Coach Tom Ellenberger)
1981 4A - Summerville (Coach Steve LaPrad)
What stood out, was all of these coaches have been inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame through the SC Chapter.
Additional interesting trivia, the only time SC has had 3 first-time team champions across the classifications in the same year was 1979:
1979 4A State Champions - Irmo
1979 3A State Champions - Bonds-Wilson
1979 2A-1A State Champions - Swansea
Records are meant to be broken.
Freshman Phenoms
Almost every season, we have 9th graders win a State Title - so let's highlight last season's Freshman Phenoms:
Nate Manos - Eastside (So., 2024 106 1st - 4A)
Houston Rudisill - May River (So., 2024 138 1st - 4A)
Montero Royal - Goose Creek (So., 2024 106 1st - 5A)
We have talented Middle Schoolers from last season to keep an eye on, especially the Carolina Invitational champions. However, many of these incoming freshman are with 5A programs and it will be a competitive year in 5A.
If there are are Freshman Phenoms winning state titles in February 2025, what classification would we most wide open?
As a recap of the returning depth in each classification:
5A has 16 returning individual state champions expecting to wrestle.
4A has 3 returning individual state champions expecting to wrestle.
3A has 5 returning individual state champions expecting to wrestle.
2A-1A has 9 returning individual state champions expecting to wrestle.
On November 18, look for the SCMAT Exclusive Article on the SC History of Freshman State Champions.
Next week on 10-21-24, SCMAT will have Season Preview #6 and cover the Girl's wrestling programs.
If you notice any updates related to the Season Preview above, please send an email to scmat@hotmail.com
thanks,
Mark Buford
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